G for Gifts

with The Gourmand

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"Bringing a gift for the host is of utmost importance.
It sends a message of graciousness and lets the host know you
appreciate all they’ve done."

If you were the perfect dinner-party present, what would you be? A
bottle of wine or a beautiful book? A pungent blue cheese or a proud
bouquet of peonies? The answer depends on where you might find
yourself. Around the world the guidelines for gift giving are as
different as can be, though they all suggest we share a universal
desire to show gratitude to our host, show respect for their efforts,
and maybe show off a little.

So before you pick a present, remember that gifts are weighty items,
even if they’re not heavy. You’re not just giving the thing itself,
you’re making a declaration, a gesture: “The only gift is a portion of
thyself,” wrote the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. In other words: you are
the gift, the gift is you – a compelling reason to get it right.

If you find yourself anywhere in Europe, steer clear of red roses
(love) and white lilies (funerals) – opt instead for a less-loaded
bloom. Anywhere else in the world, think carefully before bringing
flowers at all – they’ll influence the décor (perhaps in a way not
appreciated) and leave your host scrabbling for a vase. Unless you’re
in Germany, where spare vases must abound, as it is the custom to give
flowers to the lady of the house.

Avoid giving an intricately wrapped gift basket to a Belgian;
they’ll be baffled by the fussiness, but go ahead and give a dozen
monogrammed golf balls to a South African with whom you are doing
business – they’ll be thrilled. Your American host will be delighted
to receive a bottle of nice wine, but don’t expect the same from their
French counterparts, whose drinks list will have already been chosen (naturally).

And the best gift of all? Compelling stories, generosity of spirit
and good table manners. The best guests bring gifts. And the best
gifts are good guests.

CREDITS:

A Film by The Gourmand

Directed by David Lane

Director of Photography: Jeremy Valender

Styling:
Julian Ganio

Produced by Minni Von Podewils & Marina
Tweed

Editor: Emile Kelly

Colourist: Faith
Millin

Camera Assistant: Amelia Hazlerigg

Model:
Minni Von Podewils

P.G Commercial

THE GOURMAND is an award-winning, biannual food and culture
journal founded by David Lane and Marina Tweed. Each issue features
120 pages of specially commissioned words and images by the world’s
leading food writers and photographers, offering a visually stunning
look into a universally loved subject.

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